On Friday, West Indies batted first and were bowled out at the WACA for 70. Two days later, Australia were sent in at the same ground and were 6 for 98. Another short day's play loomed. But George Bailey's maiden international century changed all of that and drove Australia to a scarcely believable 7 for 266 - after the match he said he had considered anything more than 200 a bonus - and Mitchell Starc's second consecutive five-wicket haul confirmed Australia's 54-run victory.

The Perth fans who returned after seeing only 33.1 overs in the first match were certainly rewarded for their dedication. Not only did they see Bailey's remarkable unbeaten 125, they were also treated to some dazzling fielding from West Indies and some powerful striking in their unsuccessful chase. Kieran Powell and Dwayne Bravo struck two sixes each as they kept West Indies in the contest, but just as entertaining were the four sixes Sunil Narine took off the first four balls of a Glenn Maxwell over late in the game.

Maxwell had his revenge later in the over when Narine was stumped for 24 off six balls. If he hadn't already found out during the day, Maxwell would also have been greeted when he left the field by the news that he had sold for a $1 million price tag in the IPL auction that unfolded while the Australians were playing. It was quite a way to cap off a match in which he took 4 for 63, his first wickets at ODI level. Among them were Bravo, caught behind for 45, and the dangerous Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy cheaply.

When the final wicket fell, Jason Holder run out in the 39th over, West Indies had reached 212, still well short of their goal. The damage had mostly been done at the top of the order by Starc, who found plenty of swing in his first spell and pitched the ball full and straight. Chris Gayle (4) was the first to fall, missing a ball that slanted in towards the off stump, and continued his poor run of form.

Smart stats

George Bailey's 125 is the fifth-highest score by an Australian batsman in ODIs against West Indies. It is also the third-highest score in ODIs in Perth.

Mitchell Starc became only the third Australian bowler after Gary Gilmour and Ryan Harris to pick up two consecutive five-fors. He now has two performances among the top six by Australian bowlers against West Indies.

The 24 runs scored by Bailey off the last over is the second-best (sixth overall) by an Australian batsman (ODIs since 2000) after Darren Lehmann, who scored 28 runs against Namibia in the 2003 World Cup.

The 100-run stand between Bailey and James Faulkner is the third-highest seventh-wicket partnership for Australia overall and their best against West Indies. It is also the second-best seventh-wicket stand in ODIs against West Indies.

Australia's partnership aggregate of 168 runs for the seventh and eighth wickets is the second-highest in an ODI behind South Africa's 198 runs in Cape Town in 2006.

The partnership run-rate of 12.00 during the 68-run stand between Bailey and Mitchell Johnson is the second-highest for an eighth-wicket stand for Australia (50-plus stands).

The 126-run partnership between Dwayne Bravo and Kieran Powell is the third-best fourth-wicket stand for West Indies against Australia. The highest is 149 between Clive Lloyd and Rohan Kanhai in the first World Cup final.

In the same over, Starc's first of the innings, Ramnaresh Sarwan was also trapped lbw to a delivery that pitched in line and swung back in to the right-hander. Sarwan did not manage to get his bat anywhere near the ball and his second-ball duck meant he would leave Perth yet to get off the mark in the series, having also scored a duck in the first ODI on Friday. Darren Bravo (14) was Starc's third lbw and his dismissal left West Indies wobbling at 3 for 33.

But Dwayne Bravo and Powell led the recovery with a 126-run partnership that put West Indies firmly back in the contest. Powell was especially impressive, striking ten fours and a pair of sixes before he was lbw to Starc for 83, the victim of a successful Australian review. It was one of two reviews that went against West Indies in the chase, and by far the less controversial of the two. How the third umpire Asad Rauf came to overturn Nigel Llong's not-out decision against Devon Thomas was a mystery.

Starc dug the ball in short and Thomas, facing his first ball of the innings, thrust his hands up to fend and the ball fizzed through to Matthew Wade. Despite replays showing no Hot Spot mark, no definite vision of the ball hitting the gloves, and no clear sound as the ball went past, the decision was overturned and Thomas was gone for a golden duck. It was a baffling moment and one that took a little of the gloss of what was otherwise an excellent performance from the Australians.

It wasn't looking so good earlier in the day at 6 for 98. At the halfway point of the innings, Bailey was already the last recognised batsman and Australia needed something special from him to deliver them a competitive total, but even so his unbeaten 125 from 110 balls was greater than anything they could have hoped for at that stage.

The top-order collapse came largely through poor shot selection and brilliant West Indian fielding as the competition for catch of the day intensified seemingly with each wicket. The Australian recovery then arrived via a 100-run seventh-wicket partnership between Bailey and his fellow Launcestonian James Faulkner, who made 39, and then an unbeaten 68-run eighth-wicket stand between Bailey and Mitchell Johnson, who finished on 16.

Much of the damage came in the final five overs as the Australians added 64 runs, including 25 during a disastrous 50th over for West Indies bowled by Dwayne Bravo. In the 49th over, Bailey brought up his hundred by slogging a Kemar Roach full toss for six over midwicket and he followed with three more sixes from Bravo, over long-on and cover, as the bowler was unable to find the yorker length required.

It was a perfect example of how to build an innings in difficult circumstances as Bailey began slowly and worked his way into a rhythm, constructing the partnerships Australia needed to get themselves back in the game. His half-century had come from 69 balls and by the end of his innings, he had accumulated so many runs that, since his debut in March last year, only Ian Bell had scored more ODI runs than Bailey's 720.

Initially, he had outstanding support from Faulkner, who was playing his first innings at international level. He scored a valuable 39 from 67 balls, occupying time and ticking the scoreboard over after the top order was unable to do the job. Faulkner had come to the crease after Maxwell was bowled for a golden duck by Sammy, following quickly from the loss of Matthew Wade for 16.

Australia's problems began when the opener Usman Khawaja, on 3, flicked Roach off his pads and was brilliantly caught by Powell, who hurled himself to his right from forward square leg and managed to make the ball stick. Khawaja's opening partner Aaron Finch (11) fell to an even better take when his searing cut off Holder was snapped up at cover point by Darren Bravo, who plucked the ball one-handed above his head.

Phillip Hughes (21) pulled Sammy to Darren Bravo at midwicket and Michael Clarke was bowled by a Dwayne Bravo yorker for 16, but then came the best catch of the lot. Wade went for a cut off Narine and his edge fizzed high and fast and Sammy displayed quite remarkable reflexes to thrust his hand above his head and grab the ball, which looked destined for the boundary.

But that turned out to be the high point of the day for West Indies. For Bailey, Starc and the rest of the Australians, a much happier few hours were about to unfold.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here

Really feel sad to see WI wasting such a wonderful opportunity to win the match.They are themselves to blame for that as Sammy, Narine and Pollard threw away their wickets playing un-necessary shots.
And what an innings played by Powell.Really loved the flourish from the youngster.
Sarwan should be given at-least one more chance.I hope WI come up with a good fight in next match.

POSTED BY
one-eyed-but-keepinitreal
on | February 4, 2013, 3:26 GMT

Kudos to Starc, again. He was, by far, the best bowler on that wicket. His poles were earned by good bowling. The rest? That was a 300+ wicket. Poor shot selection and great WI fielding, not excellent bowling, led to a very sub par score by Australia which was elevated to a slightly defendable total by some great Bailey batting. That wicket was equivalent to the test wickets that Gilly scored a 47 ball century, Warner scored a rapid 180 against India, and SA broke the fourth inning run chase records. As good as Starc's bowling was, though, WI should have easily chased that score, especially given that they were scoring at a rate which suggested a 330+ score at the 30 over mark. Poor batting, when in a good position cost the WI.

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 23:50 GMT

sarwan needs to be given time to re find his groove. he's the only person that has played odi's for the w.i since the world cup with an average of 40. It's natural being out of international cricket for so long that he would be nervous. I don't care what anyone says that delivery in the first game from starc would have gotten any rhb out( sachin, kallis, ponting,dravid). I'd rather give sarwan this tour to find his groove knowing what he's capable of than expecting people who avg less than 30 with the bat to all of a sudden be consistent and chose him over people who will never play a test match for w.i despite they're one of the lower ranked teams.
It is obvious sars is not in his best touch, but i'd rather depend\hope be optimistic about someone who has made a test century against mcgrath,lee,gillespie and c.o. than players who average less than 30.

POSTED BY
on | February 5, 2013, 2:15 GMT

It seems. Like Sarwan is the worst batsman that ever play for the WI. Sarwan was captaining WI in SA when he got injured. Gale took over from him an won the next test match. Gale became captain after that what happen with WI team under Gale.Sarwan never had a long enough change to show his leader ship skill for the WI. Since Sarwan was includ in the WI the Caribbean ppl talking up.But I must say Sarwan an Chandrapaul r the most consistence batsman in the WI team. So as a Guyanese I am proud of these two guys.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | February 5, 2013, 0:42 GMT

@Jo Lanford - LOL! Where am I wrong? I specifically said your 33 innings spread included his 150. "...Over a similar period Hughes had an average of 25.3 and they dropped him!!!" If YOU knew anything about Oz cricket history, you would of realised that Clarke had a batting average in the high 40s prior to his slump, post slump he was still around 46, he was still one of the 3 best performing Oz batsmen to the date in Test cricket. Hughes's career to date ave had dropped below 30 - there is obviously no comparison - Clarke had credits, Hughes none. That is pretty simple & obvious to anyone with a normal handle on selection process. The slectors backed Clarke to come good - guess what? - He DID! Pretty obvious you are the one having the pointless rant!

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 4, 2013, 23:01 GMT

simonvillier : Do you realise Hawekye is predictive path of the ball not a definitive path. How can you give something out that may hit the edge of the stumps. The umpires are only instructed to give players out if they are sure the ball is going to hit the stumps. How can you be sure from Haweye glancing the stumps that the ball was indeed hitting the stumps?

POSTED BY
one-eyed-but-keepinitreal
on | February 4, 2013, 20:26 GMT

@simonviller, I am not sure if you have got it yet. When Hawkeye suggests that the ball may be partially hitting the stumps it can be wrong. The Bailey not out decision is a case in point. Any reasonable judge, the onfield umpire included, would have seen enough swing and seam to carry the ball past leg stump. Somehow hawkeye predicted that a small proportion of the ball may have hit leg stump. Would you give someone out based on that. With hawkeye, the ball hitting the stumps does not mean that the ball would definiteley hit the stumps. It is a tool to assist decisions..

POSTED BY
simonviller
on | February 4, 2013, 16:11 GMT

I think that the DRS system needs to be revamped to be more definitive . In the case of LBW decisions , the ball hitting the stumps should just be that and nothing more . This thing about what portion of the ball contacting what part of the wicket should not matter in my opinion . You are either obstructing the wicket ,or your'e not . I think This would help to eliminate any errors ,or negative intentions ,if they are such .

POSTED BY
Silva-Surfa
on | February 4, 2013, 13:22 GMT

Despite the disappointment of losing again, at least the boyz were alot more competitive this time round. The form of our two most senior batsmen Gayle and Sarwan is a worry, but the continuing progress of Kieran Powell is encouraging for the future and watching Dwayne Bravo striking the ball so well was also pleasing. Pollard and Sammy are still in T20 mode, looking to hit a six at least once-an-over, when they could've batted the innings, by rotating the strike and waiting for the loose-ball. As others have mentioned the DRS on Devon Thomas was a farce, on what evidence they can overturn that, is beyond me. Is there any point in having it, if you're going to get hometown decisions like that in your favour?...For Oz, the future of having Starc, Pattinson and Cummins is exciting, but it will be tough for their batters to replace Ponting and Hussey. Has George Bailey or Glen Maxwell played a test match yet?

POSTED BY
on | February 4, 2013, 11:24 GMT

@ Shaggy076 .... when did I say drop him?? Every team that I have posted has Clarke in it at No5. I am simply showing at the start of this thread that Clarke got out playing the same shot to the same ball 3-times in a row.

MJ Clarke's recent exceptional Australian batting form is exactly that ..... exceptional and recent and only in Australia. Many international cricket players would have been dropped for the form he showed prior to Jan 2012. Yes his batting average from Jan 2012-Jan 2013 is 98.5 but in the middle was a Tour of WI where he averaged 31.3 .... the same as he did for most of 2010-11.

I hope that he does fire in India and I really do hope that he does a lot better than his last tour there, because without Mr. Cricket we could all be hoping for a lot of runs from the bowlers ...... AGAIN!!!

POSTED BY
SherjilIslam
on | February 4, 2013, 6:53 GMT

Really feel sad to see WI wasting such a wonderful opportunity to win the match.They are themselves to blame for that as Sammy, Narine and Pollard threw away their wickets playing un-necessary shots.
And what an innings played by Powell.Really loved the flourish from the youngster.
Sarwan should be given at-least one more chance.I hope WI come up with a good fight in next match.

POSTED BY
one-eyed-but-keepinitreal
on | February 4, 2013, 3:26 GMT

Kudos to Starc, again. He was, by far, the best bowler on that wicket. His poles were earned by good bowling. The rest? That was a 300+ wicket. Poor shot selection and great WI fielding, not excellent bowling, led to a very sub par score by Australia which was elevated to a slightly defendable total by some great Bailey batting. That wicket was equivalent to the test wickets that Gilly scored a 47 ball century, Warner scored a rapid 180 against India, and SA broke the fourth inning run chase records. As good as Starc's bowling was, though, WI should have easily chased that score, especially given that they were scoring at a rate which suggested a 330+ score at the 30 over mark. Poor batting, when in a good position cost the WI.

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 23:50 GMT

sarwan needs to be given time to re find his groove. he's the only person that has played odi's for the w.i since the world cup with an average of 40. It's natural being out of international cricket for so long that he would be nervous. I don't care what anyone says that delivery in the first game from starc would have gotten any rhb out( sachin, kallis, ponting,dravid). I'd rather give sarwan this tour to find his groove knowing what he's capable of than expecting people who avg less than 30 with the bat to all of a sudden be consistent and chose him over people who will never play a test match for w.i despite they're one of the lower ranked teams.
It is obvious sars is not in his best touch, but i'd rather depend\hope be optimistic about someone who has made a test century against mcgrath,lee,gillespie and c.o. than players who average less than 30.

POSTED BY
on | February 5, 2013, 2:15 GMT

It seems. Like Sarwan is the worst batsman that ever play for the WI. Sarwan was captaining WI in SA when he got injured. Gale took over from him an won the next test match. Gale became captain after that what happen with WI team under Gale.Sarwan never had a long enough change to show his leader ship skill for the WI. Since Sarwan was includ in the WI the Caribbean ppl talking up.But I must say Sarwan an Chandrapaul r the most consistence batsman in the WI team. So as a Guyanese I am proud of these two guys.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | February 5, 2013, 0:42 GMT

@Jo Lanford - LOL! Where am I wrong? I specifically said your 33 innings spread included his 150. "...Over a similar period Hughes had an average of 25.3 and they dropped him!!!" If YOU knew anything about Oz cricket history, you would of realised that Clarke had a batting average in the high 40s prior to his slump, post slump he was still around 46, he was still one of the 3 best performing Oz batsmen to the date in Test cricket. Hughes's career to date ave had dropped below 30 - there is obviously no comparison - Clarke had credits, Hughes none. That is pretty simple & obvious to anyone with a normal handle on selection process. The slectors backed Clarke to come good - guess what? - He DID! Pretty obvious you are the one having the pointless rant!

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 4, 2013, 23:01 GMT

simonvillier : Do you realise Hawekye is predictive path of the ball not a definitive path. How can you give something out that may hit the edge of the stumps. The umpires are only instructed to give players out if they are sure the ball is going to hit the stumps. How can you be sure from Haweye glancing the stumps that the ball was indeed hitting the stumps?

POSTED BY
one-eyed-but-keepinitreal
on | February 4, 2013, 20:26 GMT

@simonviller, I am not sure if you have got it yet. When Hawkeye suggests that the ball may be partially hitting the stumps it can be wrong. The Bailey not out decision is a case in point. Any reasonable judge, the onfield umpire included, would have seen enough swing and seam to carry the ball past leg stump. Somehow hawkeye predicted that a small proportion of the ball may have hit leg stump. Would you give someone out based on that. With hawkeye, the ball hitting the stumps does not mean that the ball would definiteley hit the stumps. It is a tool to assist decisions..

POSTED BY
simonviller
on | February 4, 2013, 16:11 GMT

I think that the DRS system needs to be revamped to be more definitive . In the case of LBW decisions , the ball hitting the stumps should just be that and nothing more . This thing about what portion of the ball contacting what part of the wicket should not matter in my opinion . You are either obstructing the wicket ,or your'e not . I think This would help to eliminate any errors ,or negative intentions ,if they are such .

POSTED BY
Silva-Surfa
on | February 4, 2013, 13:22 GMT

Despite the disappointment of losing again, at least the boyz were alot more competitive this time round. The form of our two most senior batsmen Gayle and Sarwan is a worry, but the continuing progress of Kieran Powell is encouraging for the future and watching Dwayne Bravo striking the ball so well was also pleasing. Pollard and Sammy are still in T20 mode, looking to hit a six at least once-an-over, when they could've batted the innings, by rotating the strike and waiting for the loose-ball. As others have mentioned the DRS on Devon Thomas was a farce, on what evidence they can overturn that, is beyond me. Is there any point in having it, if you're going to get hometown decisions like that in your favour?...For Oz, the future of having Starc, Pattinson and Cummins is exciting, but it will be tough for their batters to replace Ponting and Hussey. Has George Bailey or Glen Maxwell played a test match yet?

POSTED BY
on | February 4, 2013, 11:24 GMT

@ Shaggy076 .... when did I say drop him?? Every team that I have posted has Clarke in it at No5. I am simply showing at the start of this thread that Clarke got out playing the same shot to the same ball 3-times in a row.

MJ Clarke's recent exceptional Australian batting form is exactly that ..... exceptional and recent and only in Australia. Many international cricket players would have been dropped for the form he showed prior to Jan 2012. Yes his batting average from Jan 2012-Jan 2013 is 98.5 but in the middle was a Tour of WI where he averaged 31.3 .... the same as he did for most of 2010-11.

I hope that he does fire in India and I really do hope that he does a lot better than his last tour there, because without Mr. Cricket we could all be hoping for a lot of runs from the bowlers ...... AGAIN!!!

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 4, 2013, 10:07 GMT

Joseph Langford - Having checked the stats so thoroughly you would be aware he is averaging 100 in the last year. Are you saying we should drop him now, whilst he is in that sort of form? Its true players get away with talent without performance, Mcgrath was picked for Australia with less than 20 first class wickets, as was Warne, Gillespie really only had one shield season. There are many examples and its obvious that a bloke that can average 100 in a calendar year is a serious talent and was worth persevering through that lean patch. Greg Chappell scored 7 ducks in a row whilst captain, so there are more examples of persevering with players other than Clarke. You say England will be ready for him, due to his weakness - during looking at the stats did you notice he averaged well above 50 in the last Ashes series in England? Why couldnt England work him out then.

POSTED BY
pat_one_back
on | February 4, 2013, 9:14 GMT

What exactly is your point @Joseph Langford, yes batsmen score above and below their average, it's true of the good, great and not so great, are you pressing for Std Dev as a batting stat?

POSTED BY
HatsforBats
on | February 4, 2013, 9:11 GMT

@Joseph Langford, for all your bleating Clarke has career averages of 52 & 44 for tests and ODIs respectively (69 & 47 as captain). I'm with Meety, very glad you're not a selector. You know the old saying about form & class...

POSTED BY
one-eyed-but-keepinitreal
on | February 4, 2013, 7:34 GMT

@disco_bob....
"Regarding DRS, I'm not sure if they use actual umpires but for the third umpire they'd be better off with someone who is not an umpire at all but a lawyer who can more objectively judge the actual evidence."......are you kidding, or better still, are you a lawyer. I would better trust a properly trained judge (not an adversarial system trained lawyer who has been promoted).. The question is whether the umpires, who are quite good at making quick judgements under the laws of cricket, adequately versed in making the same judgements with technology.

POSTED BY
one-eyed-but-keepinitreal
on | February 4, 2013, 7:18 GMT

@Winston Johnathon, I agree with you. Sarwan is a level headed, quality batsman. Something this WI side definitely needs. Yes Sarwan got a peach in the first match during a spell in which Starc could have troubled any batsman across any era. In the second innings, while less venemous, he also got another quick, well pitched, very late swinging delivery. To add to this, his concentration may have been affected by the miscounting which lead to him facing another delivery after he thought he had sucessfully negotiated the over.

POSTED BY
SherjilIslam
on | February 4, 2013, 7:18 GMT

DRS is turning out to be a joke, specially the hot spot thing and even bigger joke is the decision of third umpire based on the evidences.The last week was full of umpiring blunders.
Combining SA-Pak and Aus-WI match, there were at least five howlers from third umpire based on the evidences presented to him.
Still not sure of DRS being reliable for future use or not

POSTED BY
on | February 4, 2013, 5:57 GMT

@ Meety .... Wrong again!! The average includes his 150 against Sth Africa .... which was an exceptional innings. But it also includes the two 2's and the 11 that he also scored on that SA tour.

But it just emphasises his eratic batting during this period. It also shows how his form goes up and down which is why he was dropped from the Australian Team back in 2005. For Clarke having form slumps, as aluded to by NAP73 and Dunger.Bob, is simply part of his game.

Quick question. If an Australian Batsman had the following run of scores ... 28,63,47,12,3,77,14,3,9,2,80,4,20,20,13 (average 24.3) over a period of 9-mths would he be dropped?? In Australia they gave him the Captaincy. Over a similar period Hughes had an average of 25.3 and they dropped him!!!

Please learn some history before your next hissy fit.

POSTED BY
tappee74
on | February 4, 2013, 5:53 GMT

They badly need someone to stabaliz the batting.It is evident that the swing of Starc and company is too much for them to handle.Chanderpaul is too much of a resource to be ignored.

POSTED BY
simonviller
on | February 4, 2013, 5:26 GMT

What ever happened to WI cricket ? There was a time when batsmen only made the team after scoring centuries on a regular basis ,but apparently that has changed these days and it shows in the batting when faced with good opposition . Are they going to the Sammy's school of batting ? Maybe someone has the answer to my question .

POSTED BY
simonviller
on | February 4, 2013, 4:49 GMT

WI need to bat Gayle at no: three and find another solid opener with better technique to open the innings . Inconsistency at the top of the order has been the main problem with the batting . All top teams are there because they have solid openening batsmen and good opening bowlers amongst other factors . West Indies have been struggling at the top since Haynes /Greenidge left and I have my opinions about that also ,but will not divulge at this time . I'm sure some readers would understand . How long can inconsistency be allowed to go on while trying to build a team ?

POSTED BY
Meety
on | February 4, 2013, 4:49 GMT

@Tony Singh - you are right, he certainly has the ability (particularly in ODIs). I would expect him to come good eventually. I would have him ahead of Samuels in the Test team.

POSTED BY
on | February 4, 2013, 4:13 GMT

Lets not give up on Sarwan. We West Indies ppl know he has the ability.

POSTED BY
Big_Maxy_Walker
on | February 4, 2013, 3:37 GMT

so maxwell got a few wickets, against a poor display of batting. This is a odi series that will be forgotten as soon as its over, and owes its existence to greedy cricket australia. wake me up when its a match that matters

POSTED BY
one-eyed-but-keepinitreal
on | February 4, 2013, 3:07 GMT

@ygdk, obviously you didn't even watch the DRS decisions that you discussed as the umpire gave Bailey not out. The Umpire, correctly, decided that the movement (seam and swing) would have carried the ball past leg stump. Hawkeye (wrongfully, I believe) suggested that a small proportion of the ball may have hit leg stump, but, not enough to overturn the original not out decision. The travesty in this instance would have been if Bailey had been given out. This same, incorrect, tracking would have also confirmed an out decision.

POSTED BY
The_bowlers_Holding
on | February 4, 2013, 2:38 GMT

I watched the first 20 overs of the match and there were some great catches to dismiss Aus batsmen to that point. I like WI from a nostalgic angle and my wife being from the caribbean but they flatter to deceive and if the sloggers fail they capitulate, all this talk of legacies/beliving we are top team" is a bit silly following a series loss to Bangladesh (the tests weren't that convincing either). Hoping for at least one win for the WIndies but not expecting it.

POSTED BY
on | February 4, 2013, 1:54 GMT

@Jay.Raj, I think the most likely successor is Darren Bravo. His technique and looks are pretty much a clone of Lara's, but he doesn't quite have the same temperament yet!

POSTED BY
disco_bob
on | February 4, 2013, 1:06 GMT

Regarding DRS, I'm not sure if they use actual umpires but for the third umpire they'd be better off with someone who is not an umpire at all but a lawyer who can more objectively judge the actual evidence.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | February 4, 2013, 1:03 GMT

@SIRSOBERZ on (February 03 2013, 10:00 AM GMT) - there is no problem with the technology. It is the implementation, Bailey's decision was ultimately correct, its unfortunate that Thomas's was poor. What disturbs me is, that despite having UDRS for a while now, there seems to be an increasing amount of inconsistant interpretation.
@HatsforBats on (February 03 2013, 10:54 AM GMT) - well said. I think it is the only practical form of the game to Crown a World Champion. I look forward to a Test championship, but I think it would be too elitist. ODIs has enuff Test elements (particularly under the 2-new balls era).
@whofriggincares on (February 03 2013, 11:12 AM GMT) - I was happy for Maxwell, his 1st 2 overs were shockers, his next spell at the other end I think was good, but the 4 x 6s by Narine, he looked crud again. I think Clarke telling him to take his time & think, may of helped with the result 2 balls later!

POSTED BY
HambaanakaKewa
on | February 4, 2013, 0:46 GMT

WI just threw it away. They bowl and bat like headless chooks when it comes to crunch moments of the game. Oh ... and can some one tell/advice channel nine commentators (Slater, Taylor, Healy and more insignificant Brayshaw) to be more neutral and say something good about WI players too. I had to mute telecast to enjoy Kieran Powell's stroke play. Please learn to love the game too.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | February 4, 2013, 0:16 GMT

@Jo Langford, well fortunately, you have nothing to do with the selection process. NOBODY - except for maybe Sir Don, has ever played Test cricket as a batsmen for an extended period of time & not had a form slump or two. As for your 33 innings analysis, if I made it 34 innings, his average was OVER 35! In that time he still hit 3 tons, including the brilliant 150 odd against the Saffas. So you want to try & hang him on that - good luck! Look fwd to your next hissy fit.

POSTED BY
dunger.bob
on | February 4, 2013, 0:05 GMT

@ ygkd : Nicely argued but unfortunately you have started from a false assumption. You seem to be saying that the decision was an overturn by the 3rd umpire but that is wrong. The original decision was Not Out. For the decision to be over-turned more than half of the ball needs to be hitting the stumps, which it clearly wasn't. So, in that case the 3rd umpire made the correct decision by NOT overturning the field umpires decision. B4 you start, a number of similar decisions went against Australia this season so there is no bias, no conspiracy and no future in claiming that the universe is against you. ... @ Shaggy076: I try to cut these guys a bit of slack because I honestly believe that most of them are a bit "special", if you get my drift. .. logic, evidence and common sense has absolutely no effect on them because of their own bias and inability to open their eyes to the facts. They see what their poor, empty heads want to see and the truth rarely comes into it. .. it's sad.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | February 3, 2013, 23:57 GMT

@ ygkd on (February 03 2013, 20:52 PM GMT) - on another article about UDRS the other day, I was saying (IMO), there is nothing wrong with the technology, just the way it is being applied & I think that 3rd umpires need to be trained heavily in the use of the technology. Thomas was as unlucky as McKay (v SL) a few weeks ago, there was nothing to suggest either decisions should be overturned. Then in SA, Pakistan got the raw prawn when Petersen's belated review saved his bacon (no damning evidence to change), then Misbah the following day's not out decision was overturned with again no overwhelming decision. Unless they have changed the process in the last 12 months, the decision is not supposed to be the 3rd Umpires, he is to ADVISE IF he has seen anything that should change the original decision. So I s'pose you can't rule out an on-field getting cold feet on their original decision. I don't mind if the Umps use benefit of the doubt, but they MUST be consistant!

POSTED BY
typos
on | February 3, 2013, 23:47 GMT

Seems like no one in the Windies team did their homework. Starc has been bowling these big inswingers to both right and left handers for almost a year now yet the batsmen did nothing to counter it by upsetting his length or batting outside the crease or something. There is so much technology today and yet he took us by surprise?! We have satellite TV in the Caribbean and no one except the fans who watch tv knew?

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 23:37 GMT

Well that was a better game of cricket than the 1st ODI but was still lacking. Australia were on the ropes but the Windies unable to finish them off. Windies gave the Aussies a bit of a scare at the end and then threw the game away with the RR still very much achievable with wickets in hand. Yet another batch of baffling inconsistent umpiring decisions causing the usual mob to complain about biased umpires and cheating, etc. Maxwell is worth persisting with as when he gets going he can bash 30 in a couple of overs, but please don't allow him to bowl out in the future. I always thought that, especially at Perth, the pace attack looked far too good for the tourists and I was proven right.

POSTED BY
ex-Srilankan
on | February 3, 2013, 22:36 GMT

It is time to look at how DRS is currently used. The Devon Thomas decision was ridiculous. The DRS is there to look at howlers but what happens when DRS itself comes up with a howler like it did with the Thomas decision. I do not blame India for wanting to avoid it.

POSTED BY
Jay.Raj
on | February 3, 2013, 22:01 GMT

how many times did i post that Sarwan has lost his mojo and wouldnt be suitable for international matches? At this time WI need more solid batsmen and Its hard to believe that no youngsters nowadays try to follow the footsteps of the Great Brian Lara

POSTED BY
Will90
on | February 3, 2013, 21:59 GMT

@ygkd: That LBW appeal was given not out and reviewed by Sammy. I didn't see it on TV, but the commentary said it was missing leg. Agree 100% that the Thomas decision was awful, they should implement a one minute review limit. If it's not obviously wrong after a minute's worth of replays, it shouldn't be overturned. End of story.

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 3, 2013, 21:58 GMT

Luke Cannon - 3 decisions hey, name them? (there was one Thomas). You also say Bailey was plumb - Did you actually watch the game how could you give that out. I guess you still think there is some conspiracy in Australia, I could list all the bad decisions this summer and guess what the majority are against Australia. Sri Lanka are gone can you just leave too.

POSTED BY
funkybluesman
on | February 3, 2013, 21:57 GMT

When people talk about "how DRS is applied in Australia" please remember that the Umpire operating DRS in this match is from Pakistan. So the decision doesn't really have a lot to do with the home country.

It's one of those ones where I looked at all the replays and thought that it probably did just barely brush the glove, but still thought the correct DRS decision would be not-out because there wasn't close to enough definitive evidence to know, beyond reasonable doubt, that it did.

I also think that on a couple of replays it looked enough like the ball might have just brushed the glove that if it was given out by the onfield umpire it probably should have been upheld, but not overturned the not-out.

It reminded me of one earlier in the season where David Warner was given out caught behind and referred it. Despite there being no evidence on any of the replays indicating an edge, the decision was still upheld. Craziness!

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 3, 2013, 21:56 GMT

Joseph Langford - You are right with the Smith, Wade and Thomas calls as there was no conclusive evidence to change the umpires decision the umpires decision should stand. I will also add Finch in the first ODI against WI and Mckay in the Adelaide oval ODI vs Sri Lanka. That is five decisions the third umpire has got wrong, it has nothing to do with DRS it is third umpire error.They really need to stay with the officiating umpires call unless they get clear evidence to overturn it.

POSTED BY
Chris_P
on | February 3, 2013, 21:17 GMT

I was happy for Bailey to finally silence his knockers. I first saw him years ago, at the Olympic stadium, doing a hatchet job on NSW, hitting like he did in that last over & was immediately impressed with him. He has the application, technique & patience to pace his innings. I really hope people view him with the respect he deserves. He is a fair minded person and popular with opposition players as well. Good contest by the Windies, improved on their previous effort, but still need someone to buckle down. there is still plenty left in this series.

POSTED BY
VivGilchrist
on | February 3, 2013, 21:09 GMT

@Joseph Langford. Ok, how about McKays caught behind v SL? The point is it was a bad descion but Thomas wasn't going to win them the game.

POSTED BY
ygkd
on | February 3, 2013, 20:57 GMT

cont/ If there were other cases of the DRS, I didn't see them because I didn't watch the whole match. And if this is indicative of the way DRS will be used in Australia then I'm less likely to watch in the future. The third umpire should check all contentious decisions but stick to overturning only the obviously incorrect ones, like the Powell lbw. All the rest should be left well alone. That is what is supposed to happen but somewhere along the way things have been hijacked bu over-zealousness.

POSTED BY
ygkd
on | February 3, 2013, 20:52 GMT

Three DRS decisions stick in my mind. Powell's overturned not-out lbw was plumb. No problem there. Bailey, though, made a hundred after an overturned out lbw decision based on the tracking of a ball to a few millimetres when an on-field umpire had reasonably decided it was crashing into the top of a stump. That was not a howler and should not have been overturned. However, that was not as bad as the curious case of the keeper Thomas. He has every right to be a Doubting Thomas, given that his not-out caught-behind was overturned on no apparent evidence whatsoever. Had there been something on the audio recording or the thermal imaging one could have understood it, but there was nothing to indicate a nick whatsoever. Again, how did this constitute a poor original decision? I support the DRS but it must be handled correctly. If this is the way it is to be used, please pack it away and just toss the match-coin instead on contentious decisions. At least that will be right 50% of the time.

POSTED BY
PACERONE
on | February 3, 2013, 20:37 GMT

W.I are doomed to failure unless a player plays and outstanding innings like Samuel's did to win the WC.Our selectors are not up to the task of picking teams.I watched Devon Smith play fast bowling in St.Lucia and he looked very comfortable.He hooked balls on the ground and drove and cut beautifully.The spinners come on and he is lost.Now,Australia is always going to have more pace bowlers than spinners,and their spinners are not very good.Hence why was Smith not picked instead of Sarwan,Pollard and Sammy cannot be counted as batsmen.We needed les than 6 runs per over and they are getting caught on the boundary.This always seems to happen. Russell is a much better batsman than Pollard and Sammy and in ODI better than Sarwan.Someone has to remind our batsmen that runs can be obtaine by hitting the ball on the ground.We need new selectors that will pick teams according to the opposition.

POSTED BY
disco_bob
on | February 3, 2013, 19:57 GMT

@HatForBats, yes, very astute comment on the match, the ABC Grandstand commentators couldn't stop talking about the superlative WI fielding, it really did have everything at 2 for not many it looked as if WI had no chance, at 3 for 150 it looked like a better comeback than Bailey and they seemed certain to cruise to victory.

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 19:52 GMT

The DRS ..... over the past season in Australia we have seen the DRS do some amazing work but it has also shown it's shortcomings and it's inconsistency in application. On two occasions this season, I believe that batsmen were correctly given out (Smith (SA) Wade (Aust)) but were overturned by the DRS. This was because there was no hotspot. I think that all batsmen now realise that hotspot will not show for the faintest of nicks. Why else would Wade have stood his ground when SNICKO, which was not used by the 3rd Umpire, clearly showed that he hit it??

But for Thomas it was the opposite .... the batsman was given not out by the Ground Umpire and, without any evidence from Hotspot or Snicko indicating he touched the ball, the decision was overturned. This was a terrible decision, and I find it hard to believe that anyone could see it differently.

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 19:10 GMT

Am a born wi! been following wi cricket since the early 70's. this is the worst display of batting from the middle order that i can recall.what it tells me that the coaches not doing their job in the nets. i see absolutely no discipline in most of the batmen. if gayle fails! forget it. sarwan, mind not there yet. dm bravo, am still waiting with all that talent. pollard, stick with t20. thomas, boy against men. sammy, likeable person but does not know the game well enough to be captain. if this wi team can make 250 they can win a game but i don't see it happening.....wi administrators go get the best available foreign coach and get rid of the egos. i need that 70,s feeling back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 18:49 GMT

some of the most ridiculous batting you will ever see at the international level.
Is there anyone in the West Indies dressing room that can count?
After the dismissals of dw bravo and powell the asking rate was less than 5. I have no idea why they were constantly hitting the ball in the air, when they're were so many deliveries still to come ?
Did they have another event to attend and were pressed for time? smh.
You cannot win odi games when you bat out your 50 overs around 30% of the time and have a batting line up stacked with " batsmen" who average in the twenties.

POSTED BY
Surajdon9
on | February 3, 2013, 18:33 GMT

You Beauty Bailey..Starc is on the way to become very fine bowler what a talent he was..Really Really one of the good ODI inning by Bailey.all the best ....

POSTED BY
Warrior868
on | February 3, 2013, 18:13 GMT

Why was Ramdin dropped. Thomas clearly isnt good enough. The selectors got this whole team wrong

POSTED BY
mark2011
on | February 3, 2013, 17:33 GMT

I like the Bailly's humbleness. Its really soothing to see the simple way of acknowledging his 100. contrasting is seen from Maxwell after taking the partnership breaking wicket, so arrogant and screaming.I think this guy soon going to make some headline for his over reacting,arrogant behaviour which he already did in T20 against SL and got mouthful back. Then again Maxwell got some beating from Sunil Narine at later stage, hitting him 4 consecutive sixes..maxwell need to behave much more profesionally and discilplined..

POSTED BY
paulramraj
on | February 3, 2013, 16:33 GMT

It is time that the WI selectors and coaches look at the batting line up. They need someone who can hold the team together. You cannot win a game if you cannot bat out your 50 overs. This is the only board that leaves out their most consistent and reliable player, a player who is rated among the best in the world. A player that most countries would willingly pay to have on their side but we say he is not flashy and he is old. Come on WI selectors give Chanderpaul his earned place in the team. As the son of a farmer my father always said that when you are planting young fruit trees you keep a few of the old ones to provide fruits for you and to shelter the young ones against heavy winds and rain.

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 15:50 GMT

Another defeat for WI,though on expected lines. Defensive captaincy by Sammy when Bailey-Faulner were settling down ( clear edge from Bailey went past vacant 1st sleep of Holder), Bravo repeated failure in death overs (too many slower balls), Gayle bad run & Sarwan hesitant footwork, failure of Dwanye Bravo to extend his innings 100 balls (typical T 20 syndrome), Pollard inability to hold his place as batsman were more than enough for Aus. WI need specialist batters even if they score 60 in 100 balls. So many mediocre utility players (not qualified to be all rounders) spoiling the show.

POSTED BY
lukecannon
on | February 3, 2013, 15:15 GMT

Title is misleading. It should read Starc,Bailey an UMPIRES set up Australia win. Bailey was out in his 40s and 3 wickets that should not have been given against WI. Well done Umpires congrats on keeping up with the tradition after SL tour. Gayle has to fire if they want to win this series.

POSTED BY
swauzzie
on | February 3, 2013, 15:05 GMT

This is what happens when you have a team all-rounders instead of picking bowlers & batsmen 2 do the job. They rely totally on 1 guy to have an outstanding day, (eg Gale) instead of a team effort. It feels like its too important to the WI team to be cool rather than to just get a job done even if it looks scrappy. I have 1 word for the WI selectors. It's Chanderpaul. But I guess he isn't cool & flashy enough. But he can bat - he can bat & bat & accumulate runs. If only they understood how frustrating that kind of a batsmen is for the bowling team! Just look at Baileys innings? Not pretty - certainly not cool. The first half was played like a (slow) test match innings. But he did the job. In the end all that matters is what you see on the scoreboard. Not how he got there. Get back to the drawing board WI & get a balanced team.

POSTED BY
Apocalypse_EX
on | February 3, 2013, 14:47 GMT

West Indies just cant go in an ODI with three of Bravo,Pollard and Sammy, it weakens the batting a lot. I know Bravo scored runs today but it isnt always going to work. Come to think of it West Indies really need to unearth some decent young bats cause I cant think who could be a decent replacement except Chanderpaul.

POSTED BY
landl47
on | February 3, 2013, 14:07 GMT

What I admire most about Aussies is that they never give up. At 6-98 Bailey was left with the tail (though it's a very good tail) and 266 was an almost impossible dream. Still, Bailey, with the help of Faulkner playing his first ODI innings and Johnson, set about making a defendable score and darn me if he didn't do it!

I didn't see the WI innings, but it seems there was some excellent hitting, since they were up with the run rate. Starc grabbed another 5, what a force he is turning out to be.

As for the DRS, there's nothing wrong with the technology. However, umpires sometimes go with their gut when making decisions and third umpires aren't immune from that. It does seem as though Rauf made the decision on instinct rather than evidence and that is NOT the role of the third umpire. If there's no clear evidence (and that will happen no matter how advanced the technology), then the on-field umpire's decision should stand. It's lucky it wasn't Powell or Bravo who were given out.

POSTED BY
aclarity
on | February 3, 2013, 14:06 GMT

Where are the Sarwan supporters - another great innings against pace? We will continue to lose when 20% of the squad are non performers: Sarwan, Thomas (dropped another critical catch today) and Charles. Given our current squad, the final XI needs another real bowler "Best" and Russell for Pollard. Sammy and Bravo will struggle to complete 10 overs against decent batting. Help!!!

POSTED BY
wickedballs
on | February 3, 2013, 13:59 GMT

George Bailey the new "Brigadier Blocker"?

POSTED BY
mar2000
on | February 3, 2013, 13:50 GMT

WI still rely on GAYLE to "fire" at the top in order to post a good score . I still believe in the Young Bravo and Powell with the help of Pollard that will see us winning a game and may-be the SERIES.

POSTED BY
Front-Foot-Lunge
on | February 3, 2013, 13:32 GMT

It's great to see the lower-ranked teams doing well ever so often. Popcorn cricket is attractive to fair-weather fans, but no one would question the gulf in skill and ability that lies between the shorter form and longer form of the game.

POSTED BY
Vsid
on | February 3, 2013, 13:26 GMT

Poor captaincy by sammy after maxwell gone i always thought sammy will take faulkner wicket but he replaced himself.Imo sammy is hard to score singles off because of very good line length.

POSTED BY
mar2000
on | February 3, 2013, 13:17 GMT

Sarwan is no longer "high end" material in Cricket . The WI made an error in taking him on the tour Down Under . A string of LOW SCORES will follow him at this level . He should hurry-up and call it Quits and put himself out of this misery out in the middle.

POSTED BY
Edwards_Anderson
on | February 3, 2013, 13:08 GMT

PaulRampley and Shaggy if only more fans could show the support you guys do without bagging them even after a great win. One cant expect a Michael Hussey, with all that experience, is suddenly going to appear. This is a period of rebuilding. There are potential Husseys out there but they've got a couple of years to develop. We've got a talented bunch of kids such as Hughes, Warner, Khawaja,etc who are ready to step up and must be selected. But we cant expect consistent performances from this lot like Ponting, Hayden, M. Hussey, Clarke, the Waughs and Border at their prime, for a few years yet. That comes with experience. So give Khawaja the Indian series and i am sure he will excel there as he is too good not too. Henriques may be close as an all rounder, but if Watson bowls I wouldnt have two all rounders in the team…waste of a top batsman.. Khawaja and Burns would be my 2 picks as best test batsman in waiting and looking forward to seeing Khawaja play in India in the longer format.

POSTED BY
Tumbarumbar
on | February 3, 2013, 12:53 GMT

I find it odd that some of the posts point to umpires decisions in today's game that went against the West Indies but fail to reflect on the identical decisions that went against Australia in Friday's game namely the Pollard LBW and the Finch caught behind. That neither decision made one iota of difference to the game is irrelevant. Don't get me wrong I am astounded that batters can be given out on sound without the use of snickometer type technology, the human ear simply can't distinguish sound that well and I find it bizarre in the extreme that one side of the ball is more valuable than the other depending on whether the umpire or batsman calls it or if it pitches on leg stump. Don't even get me started about no balls checked on out decisions when not every single ball is checked. Finally has anyone ever seen a margin of error published for the ball tracking systems?

POSTED BY
Mary_786
on | February 3, 2013, 12:51 GMT

@Shaggy076 i think you hit the nail on the head with what you said to BigMaxyWalker. Players such as Faulkner, Mckay,Khawaja arent payed ridiculous dollars and folks who are forever critising these guys after 1 failure are simply jealous of these guys because they wish they were playing in their positions. You are right in no great player performs every game and we need to get behind our plyaers as you pointed out.. I expect Mckay to come back strong next game, and i expect Khawaja to dominate in the India series and as for Faulkner he actually had a good game.

POSTED BY
electric_loco_WAP4
on | February 3, 2013, 12:50 GMT

Well Starc proving yet again why he is the hottest young pace prospect in world atm ... and DRS again proving why its best thing to happen to cricket with a would be howler - Powell plumb lbw- being reversed and a deserving Stark was not denied for trapping his man dead in front cause of another on field umpiring Blunder... Would like some younger ones Finch, Khwaja come up with big ones in next games . Hope Aus bat first so they get full 50 overs to notch themselves a big one -:).... On track for 5-0... @Midonoff - 'No wonder why India so against this DRS system'... Oh ,you might be refering to the recent ODI drubbing by Pak and a flacky 3-2 ODI win vs Eng of all people .... some of the most blatent howlers by - esp Indian umps- save a 3-0 Pak series wash . I've no idea of Eng
ODIs though Eng by far getting worst deal in another series of ump. cankers
mostly by Ind umps ...maybe Ind got lucky again ... 3-2 Eng.. perhaps??

POSTED BY
Paul_Rampley
on | February 3, 2013, 12:39 GMT

@DanTas i wouldn't be so hard on Khawaja, he got 8 not out last game in a chase of only 70 and got out to a veyr good catch today. Finch has had 4 more games then him and you need to give a player at least 4-5 games before making judgement. Khawaja is an outstanding long form talent, but limited-overs batting - either 50 or 20 over format - does not come naturally to him but he had Ryobi runs to back him up for his selection. As Brendon pointed out he will leave for India with Hughes and Watto by Wednesday to prepare for the coming tours of Indi. Very well played Bailey, i have the ideal lineup for India in Warner, Watson , Hughes, Khawaja, Clarke, Bailey, Wade … what is so hard about being a selector? And Review-led days like this remind us how many games were probably won and lost (and careers made and premature ended) by poor umpiring decisions in the old days. I don't mourn the bad decisions, but it honestly undercuts all those years of cricket-watching for me.

POSTED BY
mateyman
on | February 3, 2013, 12:36 GMT

Haha @midonoff. You are completely wrong. The game was lost when Thomas was given out. Bailey and Starc won Australia the game

POSTED BY
mark2011
on | February 3, 2013, 12:18 GMT

its sad that WI coundt restrict Aus, less than 200 atleats after 6 down for 98. its really poor bowlling in that they let the hook off.
Bailly played well today and he's been playing some very good inning specially when aus in trouble... arrogant Maxwell better learn from him, today he did nothing first ball duck...
anyway all thr best for WI to do a better show in next macth

POSTED BY
nthuq
on | February 3, 2013, 12:13 GMT

@ODOM1, I'll turn that idea on its head for you. West Indies got Australia to 6 for 98 only because our top order didn't feel like it and gave their wickets away as gentlemen should.

That said West Indies can indeed be a dangerous team, and I'm liking the look of Powell more and more every day. There will probably be some serious fireworks next game.

POSTED BY
baskar_guha
on | February 3, 2013, 12:05 GMT

Technology, especially as-yet-unrelaible ones, cannot fix bad umpiring even if you have one sitting in the shade. ICC needs to spend money on improving the quality of umpiring (which is getting worse by the day) and stop making vendors of science experiments (hawkeye, hotspot) rich instead.

POSTED BY
DanTas
on | February 3, 2013, 12:01 GMT

Well done Aussies, brilliant stuff Bailey! Could create a pretty good Test lineup from past and present Tassie citizens. Let's see; Cowan, Paine, Doolan, Bailey, Wade, Hilfy, Faulkner, Butterworth, Bird, Doherty(?)...
I only have free to air television and don't get to the grounds much, but I've never
seen Khawaja make a score. He's always out early when I watch, seems fidgety and nervous at the crease. His running between wickets makes Ed Cowan look like Dean Jones. Is he worth all the hype?

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 3, 2013, 12:01 GMT

mateyman; two of those decisions against australia were made by Australian umpires as well. Yet the Sri Lankans will have you believe Australians are always against them.

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 11:58 GMT

in the last two days we have seen atrocious DRS reviews especially in the Pakistan VS South Africa test where reviews against pakistan have been rewarded while similar for south africa have been favourable for them. Then today the WI player given caught behind on the glove when nothing seen on hot spot and snickometer not even used. This proves that DRS can be seriously flawed especially if the decision is in the hands of one person given the power to make decisions.

POSTED BY
lesamourai
on | February 3, 2013, 11:58 GMT

Australia have clearly found the player to fulfil a gritty, fighting middle order role for the Test team. His name is George Bailey. Shame he wasn't selected in the (huge) touring squad though...

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 3, 2013, 11:58 GMT

Michael_Sheridan; looks like I missed a 'not' there. It was meant to say I'm not ruling him out for ever.

POSTED BY
ODOM1
on | February 3, 2013, 11:52 GMT

Australia should not be feeling too good about this game. It was errors by WI than winners by Australia. It was the brilliance of two men starc and Bailey, the rest were quite ordinary. W.I had this game to win and lost because of poor decisions and not excellent bowling, look at what Narine did, if only he had the patience. W.I can be a dangerous team. Watch out Australia.

POSTED BY
godfreyse
on | February 3, 2013, 11:48 GMT

Much improved performance by the WI. Just hope they get their house in order quickly. Sars must be a worried man. Hasn't done anything much since his return to WI cricket. Samuels badly missed. The boys will come around soon. I hope.

POSTED BY
Jayzuz
on | February 3, 2013, 11:44 GMT

Honestly, @Joseph Langford, you are going to make yourself sick. Really.

POSTED BY
Midonoff
on | February 3, 2013, 11:44 GMT

having watched the game I can say the that the DRS won Australia the game. Even the commentators were puzzled with some decisions, particularly thomas given caught behind. No wonder why India so against this DRS system. I also believe that Australia is not a good ODI side.

POSTED BY
KhanMitch
on | February 3, 2013, 11:43 GMT

Shaggy076 good points and yes i think its time to bring in Marsh. Khawaja, Hughes, Watson, Clarke, Cowan will all go to India on Wed or Thurs and i think that's the correct move and I think Khawaja will do very well in India where he can craft an innings, him and Hughes to dominate our batting. I like the review system but I can definitely understand why India don't want it.....Bailey not out, Gayle out (umpire couldn't get his finger up quick enough for that one) and a new rule introduced today: If Starc appeals for caught behind, even if the guy doesn't hit it and there is absolutely no evidence that he hit it, it is still out.@Mitty2 i echo your every word mate, well said.

POSTED BY
bobbo2
on | February 3, 2013, 11:43 GMT

Cannot understand how the third umpire can give a batsman out when there is no clear evidence the umpire got the decision wrong. It may have been gloved but I saw several replays and no actual evidence the ball hit the glove. I support DRS but the umpires need to be careful not to overturn decisions where there is doubt.

POSTED BY
lillee4PM
on | February 3, 2013, 11:42 GMT

That's more like it boys! Now, keep the momentum rolling, win the next one and that will effectively wrap the series up.
PS to the sports scientists and selectors: please do not change a winning team.

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 3, 2013, 11:41 GMT

Michael_Sheridan ; He is not a natural one-day player by no means am I ruling him out for ever. However, this next chance at test cricket is going to be really important for him, miss out and he may never be back and thats where his focus should be until he is established.

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 3, 2013, 11:39 GMT

Herath-Uk; More conspiracy theories from the Sri Lanka, yeah they were the only two bad decisions in that series do you feel better? Here we have West Indies legitimately getting a stinker of a decision, yet the only winging we can hear is still from Sri Lankan fans. You would have thought we would be free from the winging of Sri Lankan fans since they are no longer here.

POSTED BY
dunger.bob
on | February 3, 2013, 11:37 GMT

@ SIRSOBERZ : I am Aussie and I agree that the Thomas decision was an absolute shocker. It was pretty much inexcusable and I'm sure any fair minded cricket fan would agree. . .. however, that was actually an old fashioned umpiring error. DRS backed up the fact he was Not Out, it was the human umpire that had the brain fade. .. not that it helps the WI any whose fault it was. .. regardless of that it was a cracking game of cricket. .. your guys played brilliantly. The bowling was pretty good, especially Narine who is a star, but the catching and fielding was spectacular early on and the batting was 200% better than 2 days ago. .. it was a red hot game imo and it's type of cricket that will put bums on seats. .. Brilliant entertainment I reckon.

POSTED BY
Sinhaya
on | February 3, 2013, 11:36 GMT

Oh DARREN SAMMY!! What happened today? You can do better than this. I agree Thomas got a terrible umpiring decision but still the way you people played shots in a hurry would have caused your downfall. Remember this is a 50 over match and not a T20 match. If you all were more patient today, you all could have won.

Please make my day and win the 3rd ODI for god sake.

POSTED BY
mateyman
on | February 3, 2013, 11:35 GMT

@Herath_UK, what about the decision that went against Mckay and the ones against Warner and Henriques. Everyone gets bad decisions. Stop playing the victim

POSTED BY
pat_one_back
on | February 3, 2013, 11:30 GMT

Most entertaining ODI I've seen in a while, could have been a 300+ pitch had either top order got going. Sloppy stroke play from Aust early was brilliantly mopped up by Bailey, surely now a fully fledged mid order recovery guy??? The Windies were just brilliant to watch, landing haymaker after haymaker on everyone bar Starc. Wow is he hot at the minute, quick, bouncy, too slippery to get bat on (or glove wtf???). If he keeps improving through India then lookout England, Terry Alderman comes to mind!!

POSTED BY
johnal
on | February 3, 2013, 11:25 GMT

good game besides the poor D R S decision poor batting again was the major issue pollard and sammy did not show what was needed .narine tried i cant blame him .gayle and sarwan woefully out of form. thomas a disaster brilllant from bailey and faulkner . starc is very good . maxwell is showing great hope for the aussies.powell for the west indies

POSTED BY
TengaZool
on | February 3, 2013, 11:24 GMT

When touring teams come to a host country, especially Australia - three things are key to winning: PREPARATION - One game against a PM XI is not good enough. LUCK - WI didn't have any this game. What a DRS shocker?! A COOL THINKING HEAD UNDER PRESSURE - What was Pollard (and Sammy) thinking? Aside that, great batting George and fantastic bowling Mitch! Love your work.

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 11:18 GMT

Mr Starc .... great bowling again, though you were helped by the worst review ever .... WI should be disgusted with the decision that literally took any chance they had of winning from them. No hotspot, no noise, no nothing ... just the worst review ever. CH9 abruptly ended the telecast to end the debate. This will not end here.

@ VivGilchrist .... your two examples were not reviews. If Clarke hadn't selfishly taken the only review when he was caught plumb LBW, a review would have given both of them not out.

Maxwell can't bowl!!! He was terrible!!! Yes he took wickets ... but he was terrible!!!

@ Jayzuz & Meety .... for the 33 TM inning before his 300 last year he averaged Clarke averaged just over 30 which included two very lucky centuries and a tour of India where he averaged less than 10. If that isn't ominous enough ..... England has a team with enormous funding watching for flaws in Australian Batsmen. If I can see it, I am quite sure they can too.

POSTED BY
OneEyedAussie
on | February 3, 2013, 11:16 GMT

The Thomas referral decision was as odd as the one McKay got a few games back - definitely should have remained not out. As for Bailey, that was a 50/50 and the benefit of the doubt remained with the batsman as it should.

POSTED BY
Jayzuz
on | February 3, 2013, 11:13 GMT

Agree, @VivGilchrist. The WI look like geniuses for a few overs, but if you actually look at what they are doing, they are smashing good length balls off middle stump. That's just not going to come off enough, simply because of the law of averages. Maxwell's bowling is the perfect example. 4 for 60. Yep, the WI targeted him & he got smashed - & took 4 wickets. That's an average of 15 very fast runs a wicket. But its still only 15 runs. You can't win a 50 over game like that. As for that DRS decision, same happened with AUS a few games back with that English 3rd ump, vs SL. Davis, I think his name was. Took him 5 minutes to make the decision. No evidence at this end, but gave it out after about 20 replays. They must have something else to check at the other end. That's the only way it makes sense. If so, they should tell us what they are doing, as it is not good for the game if the viewers don't get to see/hear the evidence. It also gets tiring listening to the bleating of victims here.

POSTED BY
whofriggincares
on | February 3, 2013, 11:12 GMT

@ccc rider Maxy "singlehandedly lost momentum" what about the momentum he took from them by getting Bravo out with a ball that bounced more than the batsmen expected? And the important "4" in his game was the 4 wickets he took . He is learning , 4 sixes in a row he would have hated that no doubt but wonder how he felt getting his man stumped 2 balls later? He lost a few battles but he and Australia won the war. The 24 runs proved inconsequential as we won the game by 59. Haters will hate ,even when someone performs they will always pick the bad points to justify the unimformed opinion they have of someone. Sad really.

POSTED BY
Mary_786
on | February 3, 2013, 11:08 GMT

@Shaggy076 you may be right and I think Khawaja will be going to India along with Hughes, Watson, Cowan and other test batsman for the warm up games and its good CA has made that a priority. Fantastic win by the boys, Startc looking world class to me now.

POSTED BY
Herath-UK
on | February 3, 2013, 11:07 GMT

There were two clear wrong decisions against Sri Lanka once cancelling the game when it favoured SL and the other time forcing the game on SL when it favoured Aussies.There was no DRS there.It is not the DRS technique that is questionable but the umpires or their intergrity when taking decisions against powerful cricket boards & their media.They think of villification they will get if they erred.ICC needs to think of from that point of view not condeming DRS.
Ranil Herath - Kent

POSTED BY
HatsforBats
on | February 3, 2013, 10:54 GMT

Sadly most discussion will centre on the very poor use of the DRS by Rauf rather than the quality of the game and the performances of Bailey, Starc, Bravo & Powell. This game was a great example of why the 50 over game is the supreme short format of cricket; collapses, come backs, 5-fors, centuries, athletic fielding, suspense, tension, it was all there.

POSTED BY
Regfan
on | February 3, 2013, 10:54 GMT

No doubt in my mind that the 3rd umpire should be sac'ed for that decision.

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 3, 2013, 10:52 GMT

The DRS cant be blamed for the dismissal of Thomas, in the end it was just a poor umpiring decision. SIRSOBERZ - I agree the Thomas dismissal was a shocker but how could you give Bailey out on any of that evidence. They both should have been not out . In the end it wasnt the umpiring decision of a guy averaging 14 that cost Wesi Indies this game. They were in a position to win it and several key batsman just self destructed.

POSTED BY
Balb
on | February 3, 2013, 10:48 GMT

West Indies forget that when you are in Australia you do not only play the eleven but you are up against the entrie country and against the third umpire as well.
Again Starc rermoved the top three batsmen early. Powell and Dwayne Bravo steered the team back into this match's contention for a win but lookat what Pollard and Sammy did. Pollard played a shot without thinking that the game is stiil there to win. Sammmy on the other hand forget that he is Captain. Narine, after four good swings played so careless that one would believe that his four sixes was just lucky hits. Pollard, Sammy and Narine batting shows that WI is still in the twenty/20 mode.
Jason Holder is a good defender of his wicket and if Pollard and Sammy would have stand up and defend like Jason Holder, WI could have had their first win in this series.
WI have lost the art of winning and I thought Gibson had taught the boys to play with Heart, Body and Soul.

POSTED BY
cccrider
on | February 3, 2013, 10:48 GMT

whofcares, Maxwell bowled rubbish, all day, singlehandedly lost the game's momentum at 2 key points. Hit for 4 consecutive 6's by a no.9? 23 off his first 2 overs? But for Starc, it would have been a different story. If he plays in India it will be McGain Part 2. But with Maxwell petulance on top.

POSTED BY
ajayrcs
on | February 3, 2013, 10:47 GMT

Yes Thomas decision was howlers but what about the decision in previous decision? it was bad too. So totally agree with mateyman.

POSTED BY
VivGilchrist
on | February 3, 2013, 10:44 GMT

@SIRSOBERS, unfortunately that's DRS. Pollard got away with one last match but was bowled next ball so it wasn't talked about. As I said it needs to be tweaked. WI need to get out of T20 mode though, even with Thomas unfortunate dismissal they were well on track but thought they were chasing 12 an over.

POSTED BY
mateyman
on | February 3, 2013, 10:35 GMT

DRS is much better than the alternative, whatever its failings. I'd rather 1 howlers than 3

POSTED BY
VivGilchrist
on | February 3, 2013, 10:18 GMT

I was hoping the referral of Thomas was not going to be given out. I didn't want the haters to use it as an excuse. Yes, it was a poor descision, just like Warner and Henriques chopping it onto there pads and given out LBW v SL a few weeks back. I can see why Australia appealed, but its obvious DRS needs to be tweaked. Having said that, it was only one wicket of an average wicketkeeper/batsman, I do not understand what Pollard and Sammy were thinking getting out the way they did as less than 5 an over was required.

POSTED BY
BRUTALANALYST
on | February 3, 2013, 10:14 GMT

NO mark on hotspot and Nothing at ALL 0 on SNICKO how could it be overturned ? the 3rd umpire needs to be investigated !

POSTED BY
disco_bob
on | February 3, 2013, 10:10 GMT

At 3/150 the WI's recovered well and were cruising to a victory then all undone in 3 overs. If they don't win this now it will be a devastating loss after such a plucky fightback.

POSTED BY
micklem
on | February 3, 2013, 10:06 GMT

WI are losing the matches in Aus becz of their poor strategies and Tactics.They cant expect to win matches in Aus with their bowling.Twenty Overs of Part timers is too much with thier current bowling setup..Already their two premium fast bowlers are not good enough.Today Sammy got wickets but he can't ball full Quota everyday with that pace.Also Aus will never face the pressure with 20 overs of part time bowling and not so good two fronline pacers.Only narine is bowling good.Aussies will always get good score with these kind of bowling.This match they should have restricted Aus around 200.Wi better play with an additional bowler rather than losing too many runs.Aus having some weakness in thier batting now.Sl already exploited that,also Watson and Warner are absent.If WI can't exploit these then thay have no chance in next WC which will happen at Aus.

POSTED BY
whofriggincares
on | February 3, 2013, 10:03 GMT

@big maxy and @ccc rider , Maxwell proving he is crap? How, by getting Bravo out when he looks like taking the game away from us, oh and he just got Pollard out. looks like you might have gone the early crow ,embarrassing for you. Cant understand why you have to bag him at every opportunity . Get behind him I have a feeling he is here to stay. And please no comments about how he got pollard out , an outfield catch is one of the main modes of dismissal for an offie in ODI's .Pollard thought he could hit him for six he was wrong.

POSTED BY
BRUTALANALYST
on | February 3, 2013, 10:00 GMT

So Bailey was given not out to a ball that was shown to be hitting the stumps but he stays not out ? Dev Thomas given not out on field umpire yet its overruled and given out ? how is there 100 percent proof to show he hit it to overule what a joke Baileys was hitting stumps on hawkeye but they say not enough to overrule someone explain that maybe the Indians have a point after all that was outrageous !

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 3, 2013, 9:42 GMT

Big_Maxy_Walker; Thats a pretty pathetic attitude, I would imagine the players that dont have Ausie contracts like Finch, Khawaja, Faulkner, Mckay, arent payed ridiculous dollars. How is a player ever going to feel at home in the team if we take your attitude. The reality is you come down hard on them because you are jealous of there position. No player in history has performed in every game, most players even the greats Ponting, Steve Waugh, Border, Clarke have taken there time to belong in the team. Im sure the players want to perform as much as we want them to perform, but if it was that easy you and I would be playing. So get off your high horse.

POSTED BY
Jayzuz
on | February 3, 2013, 9:30 GMT

Exactly my point, @Big_Maxi - back to the bashing the second things look even a little bad. It wouldn't matter if they won a game in 9 overs. Oh wait, that did just happen...

POSTED BY
cccrider
on | February 3, 2013, 9:13 GMT

Maxwell, cricket's poster boy for the new generation proves he is rubbish. Just because one gets told every day of one's life that one is the best and will overcome all does not mean that will happen. There are other people, see.

POSTED BY
Big_Maxy_Walker
on | February 3, 2013, 9:07 GMT

loving maxwell get some of his own medicine. Where is this great spin the selectors are telling us he has? i hope your watching invers, time for you to go back to the retirement life

POSTED BY
Jayzuz
on | February 3, 2013, 8:38 GMT

NAP73, Clarke's form is waning? Yes, but unfortunately for you form is temporary, class permanent. But I do see Starc's inconsistency now. Two wickets in his first over, then two more overs before his third. I hope he pulls himself together and is more consistent I. The future.

POSTED BY
Big_Maxy_Walker
on | February 3, 2013, 8:29 GMT

Jaycuz they are getting paid alot of money to perform, its their job. if they cant step aside and let someone else have a go

POSTED BY
Jayzuz
on | February 3, 2013, 8:03 GMT

What amazes me is how fast everyone - Aussie and non-Aussie - is to put the boot into the team and players at the first sight of failure. Nobody succeeds all the time. Give them a break. Firedog everyone saying the sky is falling at the first sign of rain.

POSTED BY
Chris_P
on | February 3, 2013, 7:56 GMT

@Meety. Our friend FFL has another name as well, that's 3. He also conveniently disappears when the going gets tough, not sighted when the Boks toured England or when England played the Pakistan, still a comic relief when he does show up though.

POSTED BY
Shaggy076
on | February 3, 2013, 7:55 GMT

Well done Bailey, excellent innings rode his luck early but kept the ball on the ground and really made them pay late. As for Khawaja with the indian series and the back to back Ashes coming up I cant see any advantage of trialling him in a one-day international when players like Shaun Marsh can feel the one-day role better than him. Finch has deserved a chance and might as well play out this series to see if he can transfer his domestic form over. SIRSOBERZ - Not sure how you can say a ball glancing leg stump is plumb, it should always be not out as an umpire shouldnt be able to determine 100% that it is ckipping the stump, but yes umpires make errors.

POSTED BY
disco_bob
on | February 3, 2013, 7:50 GMT

Starc is looking a very tasty proposition for the Ashes.

POSTED BY
dunger.bob
on | February 3, 2013, 7:47 GMT

This innings has shown us Australia's box of chocolates. Very vulnerable at times but also just a bit dangerous. .. good call @ Joseph Langford. .. must say though it's barely humanly possible for anyone to maintain the standards Clarke has set over the last season and a half. He's bound to have a slump sooner or later. Better now than against India though. We need him to play well there. .. re George Bailey. My entire family, including the dog I kid you not, stood and applauded at the end of the innings. .. as I write Stark has 2 lbw's. .. I think Aus. is in front at this stage.

POSTED BY
CrICkeeet
on | February 3, 2013, 7:43 GMT

Well done grge baily........

POSTED BY
Meety
on | February 3, 2013, 7:38 GMT

@Jo Langford/FFL - 1,000+ runs at over 100, now THAT is consistant.
== == ==
Have to say Bailey has grown on me. The way he played in the cruddy bilateral series in England was top shelf. He looked airy in the first 40 balls he faced, & then started to look good after. UNFORTUNATELY for me, I had to do some family stuff at the 44th over, so I missed his demolition of Bravo in the 50th over. Well done Bailey.
== == ==
Oz better bowl as well as they did in the first game, as whilst we ended up posting a decent score, IF the WIndies get off to a flier, they could chase 366! Another 5for for Starc????

POSTED BY
Big-Dog
on | February 3, 2013, 7:34 GMT

@Mitty2...Khawaja's mental frailty was first revealed the first time he was selected to play Test Cricket & it seems nothing has changed in this format. He has a long way to go to be considered a regular starter for Australia in any format.

POSTED BY
Big_Maxy_Walker
on | February 3, 2013, 7:31 GMT

i will have to see bailey perform more consistently to be a believer. 2 scores out of 7 odis this summer, and those 5 games he looked terrible in. but credit due, he played well today
for me two changes need to be made, wade to stick to tests with payne in as the odi keeper. and finch out as he has had his chances and hasnt performed.

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 7:31 GMT

Congratulations Mr Bailey on your century, but it was one of the luckiest 100's I have seen for a while. Thought you were out on 2 .... I swear that the ball landed just in front of the stumps from that inside edge .... and there were many nicks and leading edges after that!!! Your 89 against SL was far more convincing but you take it when you get it.

I just wished that Clarke could have afforded a smile as he clapped you off the field. Body language is everything!!!

POSTED BY
BRUTALANALYST
on | February 3, 2013, 7:17 GMT

That on filed LBW call has changed the game, Bravo had him fooled with that slow off cutter was plumb if the on field umpire had given it would have remained out had Bailey referred it ! but that's the way it goes he batted his best game don't see much chance of W.I chasing this down after 90-6.

POSTED BY
disco_bob
on | February 3, 2013, 7:11 GMT

Good to see Australia react well after being put under serious pressure. Good support for Bailey from MJ at the death.

It will be interesting to see how Gayle responds to this comeback, I'm sure early on he had visions of a big payback. He'll need to keep his ego in check. Nicely set up for the 2nd innings.

POSTED BY
mateyman
on | February 3, 2013, 7:04 GMT

So, where are the Bailey haters?

POSTED BY
Mitty2
on | February 3, 2013, 7:04 GMT

Brilliant George Bailey. Saved the innings with a simply brilliant century. Adequate odi replacement for mr cricket, and he has put us into contention for a win single handedly

POSTED BY
Mitty2
on | February 3, 2013, 6:41 GMT

Bad typo from me haha
But what I hoped in a partnership from Bailey and the better than Maxwell allrounder in faulkner has come true with a potentially match saving partnership of about 80 runs so far. The Bailey detractors consistly get found out and contradicted. He's that necessary and steady performer and batsmen who is able and capable of resurrecting a one day innings.

@bigdog, I hope your joking, mental toughness?? Are you serious?! It's an odi!! No mental toughness is needed in odi's absolutely none.. Talent yes, but even then you still need all the more talent for test cricket, the pinnacle

Khawaja is actually proven in all forms for the domestic scene, with averages of above 40 in all three forms for the past year, and with an astounding century against tassie on a green top and two fifties on a green top at the gabba, he most certainly does have the mental toughness required for international level.

Once he converts his starts in FC and the upcoming tests, he will prosper

POSTED BY
Sunil_Batra
on | February 3, 2013, 6:36 GMT

Glenn Maxwell has been bought for over a million dollars in the IPL, that's a bit to high isn't it. And how cool did Sammy look when he asked for the referral for Baiiley's lbw.

POSTED BY
NAP73
on | February 3, 2013, 6:29 GMT

Mr Langford, you have echoed my thoughts. Clarke's form is waning and the English will have worked him out. Indeed, Flower and co will be licking their lips in antcipation re strategies to employ.

POSTED BY
Big-Dog
on | February 3, 2013, 6:16 GMT

Bailey on another rescue mission. No doubt his many uninformed detractors will still be questioning his place in the side.
Faulkner looks pretty solid in support.

POSTED BY
Mary_786
on | February 3, 2013, 6:11 GMT

Lewis I am sure Finch will come good in the remaining games, Khawaja will focus on the warm up games in India where his focus should be. Dissapointed with Maxwell today, failing to perform under pressure once again.

MJ Clarke OUT for 9!!! Bowled by a swinging ball on the stumps, trying to play it around his pads onto the on side. Score 5/28 after 11.1 Overs.

Australia vs Sri Lanka, Sydney (20/01/2013) Australia batting first.

MJ Clarke OUT for 20!!! LBW by a swinging ball on the stumps, trying to play it around his pads onto the on side. Score 2/50 after 9.6 Overs

Australia vs Sri Lanka, WACA (03/02/2013) Australia batting first.

MJ Clarke OUT for 16!!! Bowled by a swinging ball on the stumps, trying to play it around his pads onto the on side. Score 4/56 after 13.1 Overs.

Oh my .... this is very consistent!!!

POSTED BY
Edwards_Anderson
on | February 3, 2013, 4:00 GMT

Shame Finch and Khawaja didn't get going today. Windies are fielding well, that's two very good catches so far, Khawaja a bit unlucky, Finch a lot unlucky. Great takes. Finch should focus on the remaining ODIs, off to India for Khawaja now as i am sure he along with Hughes, Watson, Cowan will go to India in a couple of days time. Very dissapointed with the WACA crowd, i know Mike Hussey is not playing but you have to support your national team regardless. And cricket is alive in WA as we saw from the Big Bash crowds there. Clarke and Hughes to get centuries now, lets go guys.

POSTED BY
Motahar
on | February 3, 2013, 4:00 GMT

Good decision by WI. they must bowled AUS out under 230. If gayle plays an important role. no target is enough for the opposition team. all the best for WI

POSTED BY
Big-Dog
on | February 3, 2013, 3:42 GMT

Once again Khawaja fails to live up to the hype. I don't tink he has the mental toughness to play at the top level.

POSTED BY
Big-Dog
on | February 3, 2013, 3:32 GMT

Khawaja & Finch to open. Both were unconvincing in the first game & will need to prove themselves here.

POSTED BY
SherjilIslam
on | February 4, 2013, 6:53 GMT

Really feel sad to see WI wasting such a wonderful opportunity to win the match.They are themselves to blame for that as Sammy, Narine and Pollard threw away their wickets playing un-necessary shots.
And what an innings played by Powell.Really loved the flourish from the youngster.
Sarwan should be given at-least one more chance.I hope WI come up with a good fight in next match.

POSTED BY
one-eyed-but-keepinitreal
on | February 4, 2013, 3:26 GMT

Kudos to Starc, again. He was, by far, the best bowler on that wicket. His poles were earned by good bowling. The rest? That was a 300+ wicket. Poor shot selection and great WI fielding, not excellent bowling, led to a very sub par score by Australia which was elevated to a slightly defendable total by some great Bailey batting. That wicket was equivalent to the test wickets that Gilly scored a 47 ball century, Warner scored a rapid 180 against India, and SA broke the fourth inning run chase records. As good as Starc's bowling was, though, WI should have easily chased that score, especially given that they were scoring at a rate which suggested a 330+ score at the 30 over mark. Poor batting, when in a good position cost the WI.

POSTED BY
on | February 3, 2013, 23:50 GMT

sarwan needs to be given time to re find his groove. he's the only person that has played odi's for the w.i since the world cup with an average of 40. It's natural being out of international cricket for so long that he would be nervous. I don't care what anyone says that delivery in the first game from starc would have gotten any rhb out( sachin, kallis, ponting,dravid). I'd rather give sarwan this tour to find his groove knowing what he's capable of than expecting people who avg less than 30 with the bat to all of a sudden be consistent and chose him over people who will never play a test match for w.i despite they're one of the lower ranked teams.
It is obvious sars is not in his best touch, but i'd rather depend\hope be optimistic about someone who has made a test century against mcgrath,lee,gillespie and c.o. than players who average less than 30.

POSTED BY
Big-Dog
on | February 3, 2013, 3:32 GMT

Khawaja & Finch to open. Both were unconvincing in the first game & will need to prove themselves here.

POSTED BY
Big-Dog
on | February 3, 2013, 3:42 GMT

Once again Khawaja fails to live up to the hype. I don't tink he has the mental toughness to play at the top level.

POSTED BY
Motahar
on | February 3, 2013, 4:00 GMT

Good decision by WI. they must bowled AUS out under 230. If gayle plays an important role. no target is enough for the opposition team. all the best for WI

POSTED BY
Edwards_Anderson
on | February 3, 2013, 4:00 GMT

Shame Finch and Khawaja didn't get going today. Windies are fielding well, that's two very good catches so far, Khawaja a bit unlucky, Finch a lot unlucky. Great takes. Finch should focus on the remaining ODIs, off to India for Khawaja now as i am sure he along with Hughes, Watson, Cowan will go to India in a couple of days time. Very dissapointed with the WACA crowd, i know Mike Hussey is not playing but you have to support your national team regardless. And cricket is alive in WA as we saw from the Big Bash crowds there. Clarke and Hughes to get centuries now, lets go guys.

MJ Clarke OUT for 9!!! Bowled by a swinging ball on the stumps, trying to play it around his pads onto the on side. Score 5/28 after 11.1 Overs.

Australia vs Sri Lanka, Sydney (20/01/2013) Australia batting first.

MJ Clarke OUT for 20!!! LBW by a swinging ball on the stumps, trying to play it around his pads onto the on side. Score 2/50 after 9.6 Overs

Australia vs Sri Lanka, WACA (03/02/2013) Australia batting first.

MJ Clarke OUT for 16!!! Bowled by a swinging ball on the stumps, trying to play it around his pads onto the on side. Score 4/56 after 13.1 Overs.

Oh my .... this is very consistent!!!

POSTED BY
Mary_786
on | February 3, 2013, 6:11 GMT

Lewis I am sure Finch will come good in the remaining games, Khawaja will focus on the warm up games in India where his focus should be. Dissapointed with Maxwell today, failing to perform under pressure once again.

POSTED BY
Big-Dog
on | February 3, 2013, 6:16 GMT

Bailey on another rescue mission. No doubt his many uninformed detractors will still be questioning his place in the side.
Faulkner looks pretty solid in support.

POSTED BY
NAP73
on | February 3, 2013, 6:29 GMT

Mr Langford, you have echoed my thoughts. Clarke's form is waning and the English will have worked him out. Indeed, Flower and co will be licking their lips in antcipation re strategies to employ.

POSTED BY
Sunil_Batra
on | February 3, 2013, 6:36 GMT

Glenn Maxwell has been bought for over a million dollars in the IPL, that's a bit to high isn't it. And how cool did Sammy look when he asked for the referral for Baiiley's lbw.

POSTED BY
Mitty2
on | February 3, 2013, 6:41 GMT

Bad typo from me haha
But what I hoped in a partnership from Bailey and the better than Maxwell allrounder in faulkner has come true with a potentially match saving partnership of about 80 runs so far. The Bailey detractors consistly get found out and contradicted. He's that necessary and steady performer and batsmen who is able and capable of resurrecting a one day innings.

@bigdog, I hope your joking, mental toughness?? Are you serious?! It's an odi!! No mental toughness is needed in odi's absolutely none.. Talent yes, but even then you still need all the more talent for test cricket, the pinnacle

Khawaja is actually proven in all forms for the domestic scene, with averages of above 40 in all three forms for the past year, and with an astounding century against tassie on a green top and two fifties on a green top at the gabba, he most certainly does have the mental toughness required for international level.

Once he converts his starts in FC and the upcoming tests, he will prosper